(Unrated, but contains nudity and language.) Cast includes Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner. Co-written and directed by Roman Polanski. In French with English subtitles. At Kendall Square,...

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VENUS IN FUR

(Unrated, but contains nudity and language.) Cast includes Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner. Co-written and directed by Roman Polanski. In French with English subtitles. At Kendall Square, Cambridge. Grade: B-

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As he enters his 80s, Roman Polanski has understandably lost a little off his fastball. But any film the Oscar-winner makes remains worthy of attention, even if it’s as instantly forgettable as “Venus in Fur.” Give him credit for feistiness, though, daring to look at the ever shifting dominance in male-female relationships through the prism of sadomasochism. Not the ideal mode for comedy, but a mostly effective one, as he pits an actress (his wife Emmanuelle Seigner) and a director (Polanski look-alike Mathieu Amalric) in a real-time battle in which they take turns holding the upper hand while rehearsing a play within a play involving leather, whips, dog collars and of course, fur.

What is love? That’s the central question in the movie, the David Ives play it’s based on, and the infamous 19th-century novel, “Venus in Furs,” that started it all when author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch unwittingly lent his name to the term sadomasochism. Are matters of the heart based on emotion? Or is it power? For 90 verbose minutes, Polanski and Ives, his co-writer, come down on the side of the latter. But to whom does it belong? You practically need a scorecard to keep track, as Amalric’s Thomas and Seigner’s Vanda exchange verbal blows, both in and out of character inside an empty, rundown Parisian theater. So fluid are their transitions that we’re often left guessing if it’s Thomas and Vanda exchanging biting dialogue or the characters they’re portraying.

It’s thrilling – for awhile. But the picture’s inherent staginess and the repetitiveness of the material eventually catch up with it. But even when the narrative starts to sag, the actors remain a pleasure to watch. Ditto for the evocative camera work by Pawel Edelman (“The Pianist”), who vividly captures the growing intimacy, while literally setting the stage for a funny, sensual experience that speaks uncomfortable truths about what constitutes and dictates male-female relationships.

Of the two actors, Seigner is the peacock, and the role plays directly to her strengths as a powerful, charismatic woman. Like Marilyn Monroe, who would have been perfect as Vanya, she coyly disguises her wiles and intelligence behind the facade of a flighty bimbo, letting her true colors show only when the timing is most advantageous. But its Amalric who puts on the acting clinic, devolving from the director calling all the shots to a sniveling, whimpering thoroughly emasculated man tied in knots. Thomas is weak and pathetic, but Amalric has the remarkable ability to make you feel for him, even though, as Vanya searingly reveals, he’s a purveyor of subtle, but damning, sexism. Yet there is no end to the humiliations he’s willing to succumb under Vanya’s seductive thumb.

Page 2 of 2 - Not only does Amalric look like Polanski, he’s often the director’s surrogate, reflecting on the psychosexual issues that have both defined – and destroyed – his career. At one point, Vanya insists that Thomas’ play is rooted in child abuse, a subject that hits very close to home considering Polanski’s unsavory history. Thomas’ response to those charges sound almost identical to Polanski’s. And because Seigner is Polanski’s wife and Amalric is his doppelganger, it’s intriguing to wonder how much of the dialogue hits even closer to home. Does Seigner make her husband kiss her feet and don a dog collar? It’s fun to wonder.